Italian Dream

If you have ever had the pleasure of reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, then you understand how reading about the glorious foods she experienced while in Italy caused me to salivate at the mere imagery of all the ingredients.  I do not have one ounce of Italian blood running through my veins, nor have I ever visited, but that does not mean I can't appreciate all the amazing creations coming from that, oh so important, part of Europe.  I mean, who doesn't love a meal of pasta, sauce and veggies?  Don't even get me started on all the possibilities, forgive me while I day dream about my magical trip to Italy.

Okay, back to reality.  Unfortunately for me, and many family members, eating traditional pasta comes with a price.  In how we pay, would be through bloating, headaches, rashes and severe abdominal pain.  Not much fun, I assure you.  So what to do?  If you have Celiac, gluten sensitivities, or if you just don't want traditional noodles, you can find grocery shelves stocked full of choices.  Nowaday's, it's easy to find pasta made from corn, quinoa, rice, and even legumes.  Texture and flavor preference will determine what you may want to use.  I like the bean pastas because it is one ingredient and is full of satiating protein, but we have used the others as well.  Here are some of our favorites: Jovial, Ancient Harvest, Trader Joe's (you get a big 16 oz. bag and it's super cheap, only $1.99!) and Explore Asian.  The trick with gluten free is to follow the directions exactly and, for most, rinse well so you get perfect noodles without tasting starchy or mushy.  My girls really enjoy the pasta and we all feel so much better using them, the best part is we still get to enjoy all the recipes we love.

Do you think I could stop at gluten free noodles?  Uh, no, of course not.  See, the problem was, the cleaner I ate, the more whole foods I craved.  I wanted to still have the feeling of eating pasta dishes, but wanted the fresh taste of whole ingredients.  Well, now what?  I bought a Spirooli, that's what, and I started roasting spaghetti squash.  My girls eat pretty healthy, but after doing this numerous times, they started asking for the veggie noodles or spaghetti squash themselves, in addition to their pasta.  The fun thing about the Spirooli is that is comes with different plates that you can change out to create various shapes and lengthens of "noodles".  My kiddo's get a kick out of making their own noodles, which then makes them even more inclined to want to eat them ;).  Spaghetti squash is just another bonus from nature.  Come on, the name says it all, right?  After roasting the squash, using a fork you get these perfect stringy "noodles".  Oh Mother Nature, I love you!  Does this mean I will stop buying and eating pasta?  Don't be silly, the gluten free pasta is delicious, nutritious and the kids like it. Now on to the recipes.  You didn't think I would say all this and not share a recipe or two did you?

Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
1/2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil (divided)
1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt (divided)
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper (divided)
1 tsp. Dried Thyme (divided)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Wash off squash and then place the entire thing on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool, or using oven mitts, proceed to the next step.
3.  Step 2 allows the squash to soften enough to cut it without the struggle.  Slice through the squash from stem to root base, being mindful of your fingers.  *Scoop out seeds.
4.  Lightly brush the inside of each half with oil and sprinkle each with the salt, pepper and thyme.
5.  Turn squash over and place on cookie sheet.  Bake an additional 45 minutes.
6.  Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, or using oven mitts, gently scrape the inside of squash with a fork to create the stringy "noodles".

*Save the scooped out seeds to plant so you can have a supply of spaghetti squash at your disposal.

Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 c. Raw Cashews
1 c. Water
28 oz. BPA free can of crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Dried Basil or 1 c. Fresh Basil
1/2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil
heaping 1/2 c. Sweet Peppers, chopped and seeds removed
heaping 1/2 c. Sweet Onion, chopped
2 tsp. Minced Garlic

Directions:
1.  Place cashews, water, tomatoes with juice, salt, pepper and basil in a *high speed blender.  Let sit while prepping the peppers and onions.
2.  Heat a medium skillet over medium/high heat for one minute, add oil, heat an additional minute.  Add chopped peppers and onion.
3.  Reduce heat and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Turn off heat, leave on burner.
4.  Blend the cashew mixture until smooth.  Serve over noodles, spaghetti squash or veggie noodles and top with the sautéed mix.  Alternately, if you want the sauce hot, pour blender contents into a small pot and heat on medium until reaching desired temperature, since it is a thicker sauce, watch for scorching.

*If your blender won't blend nuts into a smooth mixture, soak the nuts for 2 hours or boil them 5-10 minutes, drain, rinse and move to step 1.

Have fun, experiment with different spices and flavors.  Don't be afraid to harness your inner Italian :)